Two Again
by bucketnmop
Summary: Another look into Kensi and Marty's relationship a few months after we left them in Two.


**Wow. This was really fun to write! Hope you enjoy it. Writer's block, a new job, holidays etc. hope we're past all that and back to writing. Let me know what you think, please, and thanks to all of you that asked for a sequel. Haven't decided if I'm finished with this or not. Have a great new year and thanks for reading.**

Two Again

"Where's Deeks?"

Callen lifted his head from the paperwork he was pretending to work on and looked at his partner with a small frown.

"Seems like you should just enjoy the peace and quiet while he's gone."

Sam gave him a reassuring nod. "Don't worry. I am. Just wondered what was so important that he needed to miss out on this wonderful bonding opportunity. Cold case paper work is a great team builder, don't you think so G?"

Before he could answer, Kensi looked up at Sam with a grin. "He's working at the restaurant tonight and," she added as she rose from her chair, "he volunteered me to help. I really need to get going."

She gathered her papers into a messy pile and grabbed her purse from the back of the chair.

"Believe it or not, I'd almost rather do paperwork." She tried to make her words sound flippant but they came out with just the tiniest bit of a whine.

"What? You nervous? The amazing Kensi Blye worried about serving food?"

"I am not serving food," she exclaimed with too much emphasis. "I don't know anything about restaurants and I do not want to learn. I tried waiting tables once and failed in a spectacular manner. I'm just going to be helping in the kitchen. One time. That's it. They're short handed and this is a big deal party."

Kensi sighed and rubbed her forehead with her thumbs. "It can't be any harder than chasing bad guys…can it?"

Sam and Callen both laughed and waved as Kensi headed out the door. They waited until her car pulled out of the parking lot before they both stood and quickly cleared the stacks of papers from their desks.

Standing at the bottom of stairs to ops, Sam called out, "All clear. She's gone. Let's get outta here."

There were answering whoops from upstairs as the techies descended and the group headed for the back door. As they passed Hetty's desk she looked up and gave them a small smile and a nod.

"I'll see you all this evening. Do not be late"

Kensi pushed open the door to the restaurant with a small sigh. He had talked her into helping out tonight but she wasn't convinced she was actually going to be any help to anyone. Marty had worked in this place for so long that there was not a single job he couldn't do well. But she, on the other hand, had no desire and nearly zero restaurant experience. Big zero.

She had spent a good bit of time at Leo's since that night six months ago when she'd called Deeks and asked him out. Because she was in the next room when she called him, she had clearly seen the look on his face when he realized what was happening. If things were going badly or she was just feeling blue, Kensi would picture that moment and the look of disbelief and pure happiness that had spread across his face. She would never forget just how delighted he had been in that moment.

Kensi wound her way through the maze of tables as she headed toward the business end of the restaurant. She waved to several familiar faces as she went. She passed the last table before the door to the kitchen; it was the table she thought of as "theirs" – the place where so many things had happened, so much had changed for her. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the large swinging door inward and entered the warm, fragrant, loud and frenzied heart of the beast.

Over the sounds of water running, pans and dishes clanging, and the crooning of Sinatra, she called out a greeting to the three people working in the central area of the kitchen. All three heads lifted toward her and all three faces broke into smiles of genuine welcome.

"Hey, Kensi." Marty Deeks quickly dried his hands on the apron he wore, which might have been white when he put it on but now looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. He crossed the small space between them and drew her into a quick hug.

"I'm glad you're here. Thanks again for helping." He kissed her temple briefly then pulled back enough so he could see her face. For someone whose life regularly depended on his ability to hide his feelings, he was unable to keep his look of tenderness hidden. "You okay?"

"Hi yourself," she replied in a soft voice. "I'm okay now." She smiled at him knowing he understood her happiness to just be where he was, even if she was slightly overwhelmed by the circumstances. "I just hope I can be of some help."

"Hmm," he whispered turning his face to nuzzle into her hair. "You're helping me already."

"Deeks," she said with a laugh as she pushed him away. "Focus. Now what's the plan and what are my jobs tonight?"

Although he let her move slightly away, Marty was still giving her _the look_, the one filled with a mixture of devotion and fondness that made Kensi's knees weak and her head slightly floaty.

"Okay. Focusing. Tonight we're doing a private party for about twenty people at 8 o'clock. In front, we'll be business as usual for a couple hours, then as those customers start to head out, we'll gather tables together and get them set up for the party. In the back we'll keep working on the food for the party whenever we get the time. I'm hoping it won't be too busy tonight, but you never know."

"What's on the menu for the party?"

"Seafood pasta for the main course." Deeks paused as Kensi released a little moan. "Yes, I know it's your favorite. If there's any left maybe I can talk the management into a plate for you."

They both chuckled and the two others at the workstation joined them. Kensi moved closer and gave the man and woman a slightly awkward hug – they both had messy hands and aprons at least as dirty as Deeks'.

"Hello dear," Stella said warmly. "Glad you're here."

"I'll take a rain check on a real hug Kensi," Leo said with a laugh. "I'm up to my elbows – and I really am!"

"Do you want to prep salads or load dishes on carts?"

Kensi rolled her eyes at Deeks but he could see that she was trying not to smile. She frowned slightly for a moment as she considered the options.

"Well, it's a tough choice between two thrilling jobs but if I prep salad I'll be able to sit down _and_ keep an eye on what's going on in here where the important work is being carried out – so salads for me."

They all laughed briefly but there was a ton of work to get done and not quite enough time or hands so they were back to business in short order.

Marty was running long sheets of pasta dough through a set of large, hand-cranked rollers. Fresh dough was used in only a few of the specialty dishes. They bought the rest from an older man they called Papa Joe, who had run his own Italian restaurant for years. He was semiretired and now sold pasta to a few old friends. Tonight's party was a pull-out-the-stops affair and everything was going to be special, from the dough to the seafood to the wine. And the dessert seemed to be a closely guarded secret.

Kensi pulled on a clean apron and hauled a stainless steel cart toward a huge stack of a plastic tubs and lids.

"How many tubs of greens do I need to fix?"

Stella paused for a moment to push the hair away from her face with her wrist. "I think, two for the house and about three quarters for the party. We'll be adding a few extra goodies for the party on top of the regular stuff. When you get the greens finished you could stack the extras on the cart, find the two bowls for the party and leave everything on the cart in the walk-in."

"Sounds good," Kensi sent the woman a smile and turned on her heels to get started.

"Thank you, dear. We couldn't do this without you."

"Well, I don't believe that for a second but the flattery is definitely working."

They all laughed.

A short time later, Kensi was stacking the last items on the cart when the door to the walk-in opened with its distinctive _whoosh._

Kensi knew before she turned that it was him. Knew he missed her when they were apart. Knew that he would make sure she was okay and let her know he appreciated her being there. With a grin she turned into his arms as he came up behind her, because she knew he'd want a kiss and a few private words now -it might be hours before they could steal away and be alone again.

And she wanted it just as much.

They kissed like two people who hadn't seen near enough of each other. But they were also very careful to keep things on an appropriate level. Their positions working together daily, taught them that getting into a place that was difficult to back away from was much less pleasant than maintaining a level that left them with a happy tingle instead of a painful ache.

Kensi ran her hands up his back and into his ever tousled hair. He kept his hands firmly on her low back and pressed their bodies together briefly before they both pulled back and exchanged rueful glances. This was their world and they were getting the hang of enjoying the simple things.

"Okay, Deeks. As much as I'd like to do this all day, and I would," she added with a smirk, "I've been standing in a refrigerator for 20 minutes and I'm really cold."

Laughing quietly, Marty pulled her tighter to him just long enough to whisper, "I could warm you up, you know." Then as they both chuckled and moved apart, he added. "Focusing. Let's get out of here popsicle woman."

The hours flew by and Kensi's apron started to look as officially dirty as everyone else's. They were just starting to see a clearing ahead when the earliest customers started to arrive for dinner. At that point, there were even more people in the back as another cook, the bus boy and dishwasher arrived, donned clean aprons and set about making them look appropriately used.

About that time Stella called Marty and Kensi to join her and Leo at their table. At each place was a sandwich, made to order with their favorite things, and a salad– Stella would always be happiest cooking for those she loved.

With a groan, Kensi slid into her chair. "If it's not my old friend lettuce."

"May the Lord make us grateful for those we love and all we have," Leo said quietly and they started to eat without further conversation.

It amazed Kensi how hungry she was. After several minutes, and with a lot less food on the plates in front of them, they started to go over the things that remained to be done and in just a moment or two were up and at it again.

Standing in the storage area with yet another cart to fill, this time with dishes, Kensi glanced past the cart and felt that silly, startled feeling when she realized Marty was leaning against a counter across the room, his arms folded across his chest, just watching her.

With a smirk that completely failed to hide her true feelings, she tried to sound irritated when she spoke.

"So, here I am working my fingers to the bone to help you out and you're standing there doing nothing."

"Oh, I am most certainly not doing nothing. I am definitely enjoying the view."

They both laughed a little before he strode across the space that separated them and pulled her into a tight hug. This wasn't their usual, intimate embrace but was bigger and almost desperate.

"Hey," she said softly into his neck. "What's that for?"

Deeks pulled back and looked carefully into her face. " I don't know how to tell you how much it means to me that you're here. That you're willing to help and that you just fit like you belong here. I love you Kensi and it still amazes me that you let me."

Kensi looked at him with unguarded affection and nodded slightly but didn't feel the need to reply. Deeks was the verbal one in the relationship and she loved and accepted his need to say things aloud. She knew it helped him sort out his feelings and process things. She, on the other hand, absorbed moments quietly and deeply – and he understood.

Too soon for either of them, Marty reluctantly stepped back slightly before placing a quick kiss on her temple.

"I'm off to pick up the last of the seafood and the mystery dessert. Won't be gone more than half and hour. April and Gabby should get here in the next few minutes. They are primarily servers tonight and won't be able to get their good clothes messy, but they will be able to help with the final set up. Anything you need while I'm out?"

"Well," Kensi started but then paused. "I was going to say make sure there's beer and ice cream for afterwards but I think I'd rather have that later. At home. Maybe with a foot rub…"

"Enough." Marty groaned. "I get the picture, and now is not the time for me to be thinking about that." With another quick kiss he walked away from her still chuckling.

A few minutes later, Kensi trundled her very full cart toward the end of the dining room where the tables had been pulled together for the party. It was surprisingly difficult, as the cart was heavily laden and not particularly well balanced. It took all her concentration as she slowly moved across the room. When she finally looked up, she saw Stella and Leo deep in conversation, and both looking very upset.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

"Oh, Kensi, April and Gabby have been in an accident. April assures me they are both okay but Gabby needs a few stitches in her arm and April is going to need to stay with her. Thank goodness they are both going to be okay, but we are now in a world of hurt without a single waitress for the party tonight."

"Oh." Kensi looked back and forth between the two faces she had grown so fond of. "Well, there must be some way we can pull this off. Is there anyone else you can call?"

Stella took a deep breath and gave Leo a very uncomfortable glance before turning to Kensi.

"We can only come up with one plan. Kensi, dear, this party is important. Things haven't been all that good for us this month and tonight will go a long way toward making our month and paying the bills." She paused before rushing ahead.

"Leo thinks that we can handle the kitchen if you and Marty do the serving."

At Kensi's look of horror, she talked even faster. "Marty's great at this Kensi. He can do all the drinks and wine and all you'll need to do is deliver plates and pick them up when the guests have finished. They are all eating the same things so you won't need to take any orders. It's only twenty people and Marty could almost do it himself, but he would have to rush and that's not the kind of experience we want these people to have. Please dear, you know we wouldn't ask if there was any other way…"

Kensi's mouth hung slightly open as she looked back and forth between the two faces. At that moment she would have gladly donated a kidney to avoid saying this one word.

"Okay."

There were quick hugs all around and Stella and Leo's looks of relief meant a lot to Kensi, but she was suddenly more nervous than she had been in a very long time. Finally, she stood up straight and with a tiny moan, asked, "What do I need to do?"

"First, somebody needs to call Marty so he can stop and get some appropriate clothes. Oh, and can he stop and get something for you wear as well, dear?"

At Stella's words Kensi had to snort out a quick laugh. "Oh yeah. Marty Deeks in my closet, that's a picture I don't even want to think about."

They exchanged knowing looks before Kensi continued. "I _think _he can be trusted to bring what I ask for, but I'll only believe it when I see it."

Stella quickly dialed Deeks' number and filled him in on the basic situation. Judging from her end of the conversation Kensi gathered that Marty took it all in stride – which didn't surprise her.

When Stella handed her the phone, she softly spoke Kensi's name. When Kensi met her eyes, all she could see in the older woman's face was affection.

"Thank you, dear. Now you'll have to admit that we couldn't do this without you."

Marty's voice was serious and tinged with concern. He was very aware that Kensi had asked only one assurance about helping in the restaurant; that she not have to wait tables. _He _actually loved serving. He was naturally gregarious and had done it for so much of his life, that it was second nature to him. He thrived on the interaction, and of course the flirting. His strength, excellent memory and charm made him very good at the job. Patrons that had Marty for a waiter left happy, entertained, satisfied and a big tip. But now, his concern was how Kensi was going to handle all this.

He talked to her for several minutes, letting her voice her concerns and share her nervousness. She hated failure so completely and, unreasonably, felt she wasn't going to be good at this. Finally, he pulled the trump card he'd carefully saved for this very moment.

"Kensi Marie Blye, you are smart, beautiful, hot, strong and none of the guys at the table tonight will be able to remember their names when you're around. You will be an amazing server, just like you are amazing at everything else. If it helps you, why don't you think of tonight as an undercover op? Just another day at the office, you know?"

There was silence at the other end of the phone line and Marty knew he had to wait her out, let her digest what he'd just said. Finally, sounding slightly unhappy but resigned, she agreed.

Marty thanked her enthusiastically and changed the subject quickly.

"Okay. I need to hurry. I'll swing by and pick up my suit. What do you want me to go get for you?"

"I can't believe I'm giving you permission to get in my closet but oh well. Bring me the black dress, the one with the higher neckline. It's not shiny and it's a little longer than the other ones. Bring the black heels that are the lowest, my makeup bag, I'll need a slip and…" Kensi paused.

"It's alright Princess, I did your laundry for a month, remember?" Deeks couldn't keep the smirk out of his tone.

"I remember that you did outer wear only." After a long pause that bordered on genuinely uncomfortable, something she hadn't felt around him for a long time, she finished with a rush.

"And a bra and panties in black. Please."

He was aware that the conversation had made her uncomfortable and couldn't really imagine why, but he didn't tease any further.

"Got it, Kens. No problem. I'll be there as fast as I possibly can. You okay?" he added sincerely.

"Yeah, but I'll be a hell of a lot better when you get here, so hurry!"

With a laugh Marty hung up the phone.

The forty or so minutes it took Marty to arrive at the restaurant went very quickly for everyone. There was still much to do but the final preparations were going well. Leo was satisfied with the progress in the kitchen and the rest of the staff was doing their own jobs plus anything else that needed to be done.

When Deeks pulled into the back parking lot, he was quickly surrounded, each person carrying what they could from the car. Leo carefully lifted a bakery box containing a huge birthday cake and took it straight to the farthest corner of the walk in. All that was left for Marty to bring in were Kensi's clothes. As he passed through the kitchen he met Leo exiting the refer, and gave him a painful looking scowl.

"This is going to be ugly, you know," he said, looking down at his feet.

Leo chuckled but gave him a sympathetic nod. "Well, remember, this was all your idea. But this will be the last tough part before the fun begins. I hope."

Both men laughed nervously before Deeks moved into the dining room looking for Kensi.

She came around a corner and nearly ran straight into him. Pulling up with a huge smile, she used her momentum to rock herself up on her toes and caught his mouth in an almost desperate kiss. "Oh, I am so glad to see you."

If she hadn't been in such a rush and so relieved, Marty was sure she would have noticed how tense he was. Instead, she started to tell him about all they'd accomplished as she unloaded her clothes from his arms. Even though he had prepared himself for what he was sure would now happen, he was not ready for the look of shock and _disappointment_ that crossed her face.

"Deeks. What have you done? This is the black dress I wore to Bliss. I do not own a shorter dress. How do you expect me to wait tables in this? And these are not my low heels. Holy crap Marty, I can't work in these. What were you thinking?

When she looked up and met his eyes, he was horrified to see they were shiny with unshed tears. She opened her mouth to say more but couldn't make any sound come out. Giving him one more hurt look, she grabbed her stuff and turned away so he couldn't see her face.

"I'll get changed," she said, her voice low as she fought for control and hurried out of the room.

"Kensi, I'm sorry…"

As soon as Kensi was safely in the restroom, both Leo and Stella slipped around the corner. Stella pulled Marty into a sympathetic hug. "Don't worry, it will all be worth it."

Shaking his head ruefully, Marty groaned. "I sure hope so. That was worse than I expected."

Kensi didn't reappear from the bathroom until just before eight. Marty was waiting for her outside the door, hands in his pockets, bouncing on his toes and looking terribly uncomfortable. When she appeared he opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand, the look on her face pure business.

"Not now, Deeks. We'll talk later. Just let me get through this, okay." She sought contact with his eyes and softened slightly when she couldn't help but see the depth of his feelings for her, feelings he wasn't trying to hide. She gave him a tiny smile, closed her eyes briefly and husked, "Let's get this over with."

The restaurant was now closed and there was a DJ and his crew setting up equipment and moving the remaining tables to the edges of the room. At the far end a divider had been set up to enclose a smaller, more intimate space. The main area was in low light but the party was blazing with the extra glow from strings of bright, sparkling lights.

Marty and Kensi moved up to the false wall and paused. Deeks had a stack of wine menus in his hand, which he shuffled back and forth, his eyes not meeting hers.

"You okay, Kens," he asked, hardly above a whisper, lifting his eyes to her face and giving her a hesitant smile.

When she didn't answer immediately, he reached up and gently laid his hand against her cheek. Slowly, she nodded and leaned slightly into his touch. Finally, she laughed softly and said, "Can we just get this over with so we can go home?"

"Yes. Let's do this thing."

Deeks moved to the left and entered the party space leaving room for Kensi to step in behind him. As she did, she was overwhelmed. First was the blast of color, the room was filled with pink; balloons and streamers and napkins and flowers, _and _she realized, all the women were wearing pink crowns with silver rhinestones. She had not even begun to process this wave of sensory overload, when her eyes fell on April and Gabby, looking calm and healthy, passing out wine glasses. An immediate flood of relief swept over her that made her knees weak…

NCIS agent Sam Hanna was the first person she recognized. Callen sat next to him, and Hetty was there and Eric sat next to Nell. They were all dressed in formal attire, black for the men and black with pink accents (_and crowns?_) for the women. Stella and Leo were sitting (_sitting?_) at the far end of the table; Leo had been talking to Mike Renko (_ Renko?)._

Kensi actually shook her head, because she knew that none of the information that was flooding her brain was possible. Why would her NCIS team be here with the people from the restaurant? What kind of a party was this? Why hadn't anyone told her they would be here tonight?

Then, as if they knew what she was thinking, what she was trying to wrap her mind around, Eric touched his ever-present computer and a banner appeared on a screen attached to the back wall.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENSI.

With a gasp that was nearly a yelp, she spun on her very high heels and ran smack into the chest of one Marty Deeks.

"Deeks. Move. I have to go."

But he didn't. Instead he wrapped his arms firmly around her and buried his face in her neck so he could speak quietly into her ear.

"No. Kens you have to stay. All these people have come here to spend time with you and show you how important you are to them. To us. Please Kensi, everyone in this room loves you and is so excited to get a chance to show you. Please let us do something for you. We worked really hard and want you to have a really good time tonight."

Kensi concentrated first on breathing and then on what her partner had just said. She wanted to break into a run and never look back. She hated being the center of attention; it made her uncomfortable, especially _a lot_ of attention. But his voice was full of emotion and his arms held her so tightly. She could feel the tension in his body as he waited as patiently as he possibly could for her. She let out one strangled sob into his neck before her hands traveled upward to grab his collar and he was briefly concerned that she was going to choke him.

But on her face was a look of total amazement. The room had gone completely quiet. Everyone present knew that it was entirely possible Kensi would actually leave her own party.

"But Marty, it's not even my birthday," she wailed softly.

At that moment Marty Deeks knew he'd won. He lifted her off her feet and spun her around in a full circle.

"I know that. But I also know that if we'd tried to surprise you on or near your birthday you'd have figured it out in a New York second. So, today is the 6-month anniversary of your last birthday or it's halfway to your next one. Happy Unbirthday Baby Girl." The last words were said so that only she could hear them. She truly did hear the words and the affection they carried, loud and clear.

"Do I have to wear a crown?" As she spoke, Kensi turned out of Marty's arms and looked at the happy, excited faces of the people who were there with her to celebrate an unorthodox anniversary of the birth of a very special woman.


End file.
